Mental health nurses work in a variety of settings providing general care, specialized care, and community-based care. They fulfill roles as nurse generalists, specialists with advanced degrees like clinical nurse specialists, and focus on areas like community mental health, psychiatric home care, and forensic psychiatry. Mental health nurses perform functions like assessments, treatment, education, and rehabilitation across inpatient, outpatient, day treatment and home settings.

1. Scope of Mental Health Nursing
a Nurse Generalist: a licensed nurse providing
primary mental health care. Holistic approach,
prevention
care centers, psychiatric rehabilitation facilities,
homeless shelters etc.
programmes, community and day
a Nurse Specialist: Psychiatric Clinical Nurse
Specialist (CNS): have a master degree in mental
health nursing. Autonomous
prescription privileges, manages overall care of
emotional and psychiatric problems.Eg.Crisis
interventio0n specialists, Milieu Specialists,
Psychotherapists etc.
functioning,

2. Scope of Mental Health Nursing
Community Mental Health Nurse (CM
Diagnosis, appropriate referrals, care and
rehabilitation of mentally ill people in the
community.
Psychiatric Home Care Nurse: direct patient
care, behavioral management, crisis
intervention, psycho education, detoxification,
medication etc.
Forensic Psychiatric Nurse: works with
individuals who have entered the legal system.

3. Case Manager: Nurse manager acts as
advocates by coordinating care and linking
patient with physician and other members of
health care team. Works in community and
helping in daily living of a mentallyill person
such as transportation, managing money, buying
thingsetc.

4. Tele health Tele nurse: Nurses engaged in
tele-nursing practice use technologies such as
internet, computers, telephones, digital
assessment tools & tele-monitoring equipment
to deliver nursing care. In India around 10
hospitals are having telemedicine departments.
Eg. Apollo hospitals, Narayana Hrudayalaya.

5. Scope of Mental Health Nursing
Nurse Researcher: Nurse researchers design,
conduct & disseminate findings of research at
professional meets & in peer reviewed journals.
They are doctorally or post-doctorally prepared
persons who initiate or participate in all phases
of the research process.
Psychiatric Nurse Educator:
aNurse Administrator/Manager
Nurse Pharmacologist: The psychiatricclinical
nurse specialist with prescriptive authority.
a Holistic Nurse: Integrates complementary and
alternative modalities such as relaxation,
meditation ete

6. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC WARD..
a Provide for environment safety including
protecting the patient & others from injury.
o Perform psychosocial, high risk & physical
assessment.
a Promotion of self care activities.
Medicationmanagement.
Assisting for somatic therapies.
a Accurately observing & documenting the
patient's behavior.
the
a Providing opportunities for the patient to
make his own decisions & to assume

7. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC WARDD
aProvide safe environment and protect from
injury.
a Perform psychosocial, high risk & physical
assessment.
Promotion of self care activities.
Medicationmanagement.
aDocumentation ofbehaviour.
a Providing opportunities for the patientto
make his own decisions & to assume
responsibility for his life.

8. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC WARD
a Participation in various therapies, individual
interactions, formal & informal group situations,
role play, advocating on behalf of the patient &
so forth.
Delivering psycho-education, social skill and
stress management strategies.
Counseling the patient & family members.
Interdisciplinary approach to care.
Discharge planning & community referral &
follow up care.

9. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATI TDEPARTMENT
Performing clinical assessment.
oAssisting for psychometric assessment.
Assisting or providing psychotherapy or
behavior therapy.
Counseling the patient&family members.
Conducting grouptherapy.
oDelivering psycho education.

10. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
ECT TREATMENTSETTING
Preparing the patientfor ECT.
Providingcareduring the procedure.
Assisting with post treatment.
Providing reassuranceto reduce anxiety.
Delivering psychoeducation regarding ECT

11. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
PSYCHOTHERAPY UNIT
oEstablishing a therapeutic relationship with
the patient.
Providing an opportunity for the patient to
release tension as problem are discussed.
Assisting the patient in gaining insight about
the problem.
Providing opportunity to practicenew skills.
Reinforcing appropriatebehaviorasit occurs.
Providingconsistentemotional support.

12. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
DAY CARE CENTERS OR DAY HOSPITALS
Performing clinical assessment/observation/
documentation.
oMedication management.
Teaching social skills.
Counseling patient & family members.
Delivering psychoeducation.
Providing occupational or recreational therapy
& vocational assistance.

13. Functions of Mental Health Nursse
CHILD PSYCHIATRIC WARD
understand
the child his
Assessing
strengths and abilities.
Monitor the child's developmental levels&
initiate supportive interventions such as speech,
language or occupational skills as needed.
o Provide a safe therapeutic environment.
Interdisciplinary approach to care.
Teach the child adaptive skills such as eating,
dressing, grooming & toileting.
and
and Medication
Deliver psycho education
management, participate in therapies.

14. Functions of Mental Health Nurse
HOME SETTING
Assessment of symptoms.
o Teaching the patient& family regarding
nutrition, exercise, hygiene & the relationship
between physical & emotional health.
o Stress management and Daily living kills
(bank accounts, rent, utility bills, use of the
telephone, grocery shopping).
Medication management Oral/lV-monitoring
blood levels, toxicity, side effects &purposes.
oActs as a case manager & coordinate an array
of services such as therapies.